Immortals Don't Usually Age
by nerdalert42
Summary: Jack feels odd that he's unable to age past 14 as an immortal,so Manny grants him a wish and he is able to(visually) age! Turns out Jack isn't the only one wishing for something,though. What is Sandy's secret? What does he mean by 'his true form? No slash,Rated K. Jack x OC,I'm no Tolkien so don't expect perfection,but I tried my ease R&R,try to keep the comments nice!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Jack Frost had always been the same age. Apparently, MiM didn't see any point in making him even a little bit normal, so he had stayed 16 years old since the day he was "born". Then again, none of the other Guardians got older either. Tooth was an eternally hyper hummingbird, North was an aged fatherly figure, Sandy was made of stardust, and Bunny… well, jack wasn't even sure that Bunny COULD age further than this. As he looked around the meeting table, he saw Tooth chatting with Sandy, elves running everywhere, and North having a heated argument with Bunny about, yet again, whose holiday was better. Even though the others didn't seem bothered by it, Jack felt odd that he wasn't able to grow older. Sensing that the meeting had helplessly dissolved into chaos, he rose up from his chair and floated over to the closest yeti, who was attempting to shoo the elves out of its way. "Hey Stephen! Can you do me a favor?" Jack's only reply was " Rashglabdragda, yutouiapen Phil.", which roughly translates to "I'm busy at the moment, go ask Phil." Jack spun around, located Phil standing over by a window, and flew over to tap him on the shoulder. "Hey Phil, can you do something for me?" The yeti gave him an odd look before nodding and grunting, as if to say, "Sure, what is it?" "If North ever stops bickering with Bunny and wonders where I am, just tell him that I left early. I'm getting bored, I need to fly. Okay?" Phil nodded and opened the window behind him to let the icy winds carry their frozen child outside. Jack glanced back over his shoulder one last time, and chuckled. He had such a strange family, but it was a family none the less. "Thanks Phil!" he called over his shoulder as the Wind carried him away. Phil quickly closed the window, and turned back around to face the room. Groaning at the mess it was becoming, he decided to help Stephen clear out the elves. _Honestly, _he thought, _I don't know why North even keeps them. It's not like they're useful! _Sighing, he walked over to his comrade and started to pick up elves by their hats and toss them out of the room. This is going to take a while.


	2. Chapter 2

I still have my memory box, even though I've relived every one at least a dozen times each. There are certain memories, though, that I find myself skipping to right away. For example, my third day of second grade. I wasn't the poorest kid in the class, but I definitely wasn't the richest. The wealthiest child in my grade was Samantha E. Collins. Her adoptive parents had moved here from some fancy city, claiming that they needed a "change of scenery, something calmer for our darling Samantha." They doted on her, even though she wasn't biologically theirs. She played the part of a perfect little golden girl, always sweet and curious, and they granted her every wish in return. On the inside, however, little Ms. Collins was a spoiled, cold-hearted brat that either bribed adults to do things her way, or threw fake tantrums that contained quite a lot of wailing and sobbing.(These tantrums often earned disapproving glances from my mother whenever Samantha would start to scream. My mother was never one for noisy children, I learned that early on.) She obviously never shed a single tear, for that would signify vulnerability in her book, but her parents never knew that. She had shoulder-length blonde hair, but everyone, even us smaller ones in her class, knew it wasn't natural. An ugly orangish-yellow, it seemed her parents had attempted to grant another of her wishes by taking her to a fancy salon for a hair coloring. Unfortunately, instead of making her a 7-year-old blonde beauty, she looked as if someone had dumped a bucket of orange paint on her head and mixed in some yellow coloring as an afterthought. Add a turned-up nose, sharp chin, and olive/dirt color eyes, and you've got yourself Samantha. However, she still thought she was the prettiest of all the children, and lorded it over all of us. She bullied, teased, insulted, and tattled until every kid in town knew to steer clear of Samantha E. Collins, no matter what. As a little kid, I admit, I was a bit star-struck that first day she walked into the classroom. Here was little old me, never having any fancy toys, but always being perfectly content with my simple hometown, and then she arrived. She came into town in a gilded carriage drawn by gleaming white horses. Her family crest, a sword and a daisy crossing a crown, was painted onto the doors of the carriage in bright colors, as well as being displayed on the flags mounted on top. When her father stepped out, I immediately knew that he didn't like our town. He looked as if somebody had shoved a cow pat under his nose, making him turn his nose up at everyone watching. His name was Sir Jonathan Leebly-Cross III. His wife, a rather fat woman with too much makeup, unsteadily stepped out of the coach, her silk train following behind. That was Madame Victoire Leebly-Cross. The last to exit was Samantha herself, holding her dress by two fingers and delicately stepping down. We all thought she was going to be a prim and proper lady, never insulting or yelling, but smiling and playing with us. How we all wished that was true.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A confession

Now, the reason I always find myself skipping to the memories containing Samantha Collins is, well, I may have had a _teeny-tiny _crush on her, as a mortal. I mean, she was absolutely loaded; she could get anything she desired by simply asking! What little boy doesn't dream of living rich when he grows up? Also, she was a blonde. A disgusting shade and close to being orange, but still there. The only other woman in the village with blonde hair was Mama, and so I naturally felt comfortable around light-haired people. Until I actually had a _conversation _with ole carrot-top. She bullied all of us kids, but especially me. I don't know why, it might have been because I had a real mama, but then so did all the others. No, I think the reason she hated me the most was because I was fun to be around, and made everyone laugh. She had a hard time making friends, she was so used to everyone just immediately following her. Yet she somehow developed a posse that would follow her around and join in her tyranny. They hated everyone she hated, and loathed me because she loathed me. I was never referred to as "Jackson", "Jackie", or even just "Jack". I was "the Frost kid". Everywhere I went, there she would be, making fun of my name and pouring snow down my shirt in the winter time and dousing me with water in the summer to "try and keep you cold, Frosty. Aren't you hot out here? We're just helping!" I soon felt that I couldn't take it anymore, but luckily, my baby sibling was coming soon. Samantha had come in December, when Mama was 3 months pregnant. Now that it was June, Mama said she was due any day. I still held my crush on Samantha, thinking that maybe she just needed a real friend instead of a minion, but every attempt I made at being nice was rejected with sneers and jeers until my hopeful crush had turned to hate. She knew that Mama was gonna have a baby soon, so she started questioning me on where my Dad was. "Where's your father, Frostface? Did he run o0ut on you? Huh? Where's your Daddy gone? Didn't 'e luv ya? Ahhaaahahahah!" I got so mad, I could barely keep myself from punching her right in her ugly face! Soon, though, on the 15th of June, Emily Katelynn Frost was born. As soon as I saw my baby sister, all I could feel was pure joy. That day, I made a vow to protect my little sister, no matter what. I knew that I couldn't shadow her her whole life, but no bullies would ever lay a hand on my Emily as long as I was around.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Manny's choice

The moment Jack returned to his lake, he sat down on a tree branch to relax. Not many people realized it, but flying actually _was_ hard work. Constantly having to right himself, making sure the Wind didn't accidentally toss him out of the stream of cold air, and also attempting to guide the Wind itself, for it was always trying to take him off on adventures. Sighing, he slowly swung one leg off of the tree branch and closed his eyes. It sure was nice to sit still for a moment, even if he was the spirit of fun. Sinking back against the tree, he opened his eyes and glanced around his home. He had no need of a castle. This was all the home he needed. Closing his eyes once more, he drifted off to sleep, subconsciously hoping for a sweet dream.

He was dreaming. That much was clear to Jack immediately. Where else could he be where there were walls and floors of rippling golden sand, other than Dreamworld? Although _what_ this dream was about, he wasn't sure yet, though he intended to find out. Walking forward on an unseen platform above the sparkling waves, he approached a tall white door at the end of the Dream-corridor and pushed it open. Inside, there was a middle-aged man, around 35 years old with light brown hair and sharp blue eyes, sitting at a circular table. The man stood, smiling, and Jack could see that he was wearing a loose ivory colored blouse with matching trousers. "Hello, Jackson." His voice was soft when he spoke, yet it seemed to fill the whole room with power. "I am Tsar Lunar, but I also go by my nickname; Manny. Come and sit." Shocked, jack hurried over to the table and pulled up a chair. "So, wait. _You're_ **the** Man-in-the-Moon. Are you serious?" The man chuckled at his statement, and replied "Yes, Jackson, I am Manny. Now I have something to discuss with you." Before he could begin, however, Jack raised his hand and shook his head. "No no no, I mean, I don't want to be rude or anything, but I have to ask you something." Manny looked confused for a moment before nodding and saying "Go ahead, I'm listening." Jack took a deep breath, preparing himself, and slowly questioned "Why… did you…leave me alone...for 300 years?"

…

Silence.

Manny was staring at Jack with a mix of confusion, pity, and sorrow. He reached across the table and put a solid hand on Jack's shoulder as he spoke. "I am truly sorry Jackson, I am. Time passes faster where I live than it does in the mortal world. Although it varies at times, it is always like this. Sometimes 100 years in your world could be a day in here, or sometimes it could be only a minute. Unfortunately, we have no idea how to track the ratio. I could only hope that you would make friends with the other spirits, for I was not allowed to contact you again." Jack seemed a bit disconcerted at the fact that time moved differently in Dreamworld, but was more confused at the end of Manny's sentence. "You weren't _allowed_ to? But aren't you the highest power?" Sighing, Manny shook his head. "No, I am not. Above me are the Main Elementals; Madame Spring, Lady Summer, Sir Autumn, And Old Man Winter. Above them are the Emotions, Love, Hate, Jealousy, and Pity. The highest power, however, is Father Time, who controls all of us. The others are just a bit more important than me. So, no, Jackson, I wasn't allowed to visit you unless something big came up and –" "And that something big was Pitch." Jack finished. "Yes. Can you forgive and old man's stupidity, Jackson?" "Well, now that I know why, and that you didn't _actively_ avoid me for so long, then yeah. So, what was this 'important matter' that you wanted to discuss?" Taking a deep breath, Manny spoke. "Well, Jack, I have become aware that you don't feel right about the 'No aging' bit of immortality. I knew you would, but the signs of it weren't supposed to show until next month." Before Jack could question him, he quickly interjected "Father Time warned me so I'd have time to prepare. Oh, well, one month early can't hurt." Standing up, Manny walked towards a plain wooden door that had just appeared and poked in his head. Pulling out of the doorway, he gestured for Jack to follow him. As they both walked into the room, it seemed to get slightly brighter, but the temperature dropped by about 30 degrees. Turning his head from side to side to get a full view, Jack admired beautiful patterns painted onto the walls, ornately carved golden scepters stuck in the corners, and a high ceiling that looked so real he was tempted to try and fly up there. In the middle of the marble floor, there was a circle of the brightest sapphire, and Manny led him to stand in the circle. Returning to the entrance, he turned. "Keep your staff in hand, stay still, and try not send Dreamworld into an ice age, OK?" Once Manny had left the room, Jack suddenly felt very alone in the world. The next second, however, he was being lifted into the air by what appeared to be magic wires originating from each of the four golden scepters.

1

2

3

For three seconds he was suspended in midair before a flood of energy came at him from all sides. Wracking his body, the bursts of power filled every nook and cranny of his very being, then the extras left. Still being shaken by spasms, the magic unceremoniously dropped him to the floor, where he lay shaking.


	5. Chapter 4 (Part 2)

Part 2:

Within five minutes, he was upright once again and checking all over his body for any hints at change. Finding none, he walked over to the entrance and knocked, hoping to get Manny's attention. The door was immediately flung open, and the older spirit enveloped Jack in a tight hug. "Oh, Jackson. You did _wonderful_! I expected it to be another ten minutes before you regained your strength, you're much more resilient than I originally thought! Come, come, sit down and rest." Following Manny back to the table, the younger spirit finally spoke up. "But-but Manny, I don't look any different. I haven't changed!" "Oh, haven't you?" Manny replied with a smirk. "Tell me Jack, have you ever accidentally scraped yourself, maybe on a stray branch during flight?" Jack nodded slowly, not sure where this conversation was headed. "Yeah, about a year after I became Jack frost." Pulling up the leg of his brown trousers to above his kneecap, he showed Manny a light lavender scar running from the tip of his left ankle to about ¾ of the way up his shin. Staring at the scar with a small frown on his face, Manny said "ooh, that must've hurt. But, did it bleed?" Jack just stared at him, completely nonplussed. "Of course it didn't, all my blood is frozen. Why?" Manny simply gestured to Jack's chest and replied "Feel for yourself." Wary, the winter spirit put a hand to his own chest, only to feel a light _thump-thump thump-thump_ beneath his thick hoodie. Shocked, he stared at the Man in the Moon with his jaw hanging open, silently asking for answers. Manny happily obliged by explaining "You are still immortal, but your blood can now pump through you veins, allowing you to age. There is, however, a sort of road block at the end. The world doesn't need an old Jack Frost whose joints are too achy for him to join in snowball fights. We need this young, 14-year-old you, or something like it. Your body will not be able to age past 29, but your mind will. So yes, Jack, you will eventually be able to act mature. Whether you use that capability or not is up to you, though. Are you able to accept these terms?" Stunned from the explanation, Jack shook his head and stuttered. "What? Oh- um, yeah. I mean, Yes, I accept these terms." The elder spirit snapped his fingers and a piece of paper and pen appeared in midair. "Good. Now, just sign your name here, and you can wake up." Jack blushed for a moment, turning away and mumbling incoherently under his breath. "What was that?" The younger immortal turned back around and said quietly "I n-never learned… how to write…" Suppressing a chuckle, Manny drew a semicircle over the paper and said "Then just pass your right hand through the ring. It will act as a signature and you will be able to return to reality. Shaking, Jack stuck his hand into the circle and quickly removed it as it dinged. Suddenly, the whole room started to spin around him as he was sucked upwards.

Jack jumped up swiftly and jumped out of the tree before he realized that he was at home in Burgess. Flying back up to his perch, he plonked himself down again, knocking snow off of the branches around him as he did so. 'That was one funky dream, Sandy.'he thought. Becoming curious he snuck a hand under his hoodie and shirt, cautiously feeling his chest to make sure that he was the same as before. It was a good thing that he had been holding onto the tree that moment, for he surely would've fallen to the ground in shock. His heart was beating! Like in the dream with Manny, only this was real! Knowledge that the dream had actually been real and had definitely happened wiped out every other thought. His heart was beating, the blood was flowing in his veins, and he could age like a_ normal person_! Whooping with joy, he flew high into the sky, calling the wind to bring in some storm clouds because today, the United States was having a snow day! And if you were standing on the pond that day, and if you could hear anything over the joyfully whistling wind, you might've caught a glimpse of a bright blue sweatshirt and heard a voice shouting the words "Thank you, Manny!" to the sky.


	6. Chapter 5

Warning! Super short chapter, more of a filler thing until I ge the next chappy written! So sorry!

Chapter 5:

Far away, the sandman himself was having a dream. Yes, yes, even _the_ Sandman needed to sleep _sometime_. This dream in particular, though, was very important. He had found himself in front of a shining ivory castle, which he recognized as the home of Tsar Lunar. After floating up the path to the castle, he was greeted by a guard in the royal uniform of black trenchcoat with golden fastenings and a moon pendant carved of pure silver placed into the collar, and was led inside. Glancing around briefly, he noted that the palace had not changed much since his last visit. The guard showed him to a comfortable looking room with a few soft chairs, a roaring fireplace, and a collection of books lining the walls. Sandy automatically moved to the chair farthest from the fireplace, sand and heat did NOT mix well. He had learned that early on in his existence. Wanting to see if he hd any of his senses left, he had stupidly stuck two of his fingers into a bonfire that a town was having during a festival. The flames immediately engulfed his fingers, and he almost screamed out in pain. Yanking his hand back, young Sanderson learned that fire melted sand into a goo, that later cooled and became glass. Unfortunately, he'd had to shatter those two fingers (Which hurt A LOT.) and replace them with sand from the rest of his body. Returning to the present, he noticed the doorknob start to turn. Steeling himself for any suprises, he almost laughed, for it was only the Man in the Moon himself, who stepped through the doorway and strode over to sit in the chair opposite the little golden man. "So, Sandy, you finally fell asleep. Perfect timing, too, I have some good news that involves a certain winter spirit you have befriended…" he began.


	7. Chapter 6

If anyone's still reading this, I already know that I am the biggest sonuvabitch that ever lived. I swear, writers block was purposely made just to annoy the living crap out of me! Anyway, sorry, on to the story!

_Returning to the present, he noticed the doorknob start to turn. Steeling himself for any surprises, he almost laughed, for it was only the Man in the Moon himself, who stepped through the doorway and strode over to sit in the chair opposite the little golden man. "So, Sandy, you finally fell asleep. Perfect timing, too, I have some good news that involves a certain a certain winter spirit you have befriended."he began…_

Confused, Sandy arched a small eyebrow as the image of a newspaper, Jack, and a question mark appeared above his head. "_What news could you have that concerns Jack?"_ Smirking, Manny shook his finger at the dreamgiver. "Now, now, Sanderson. You know that I have news on almost EVERYONE, I love a good gossip. But, this is actually happy news. Would you like to hear?" Nodding, Sandy agreed to listen as the Man in the Moon described how he had given a slice of mortality back to Jack Frost. After he had finished, the Sandman could only stare slack-jawed. A feeble question mark appeared above his head before dissolving back into golden grains and falling back down. _Never, _not in a _billion_ years had Sandy would've thought that Manny would _ever_ do something like that. And he wasn't sure he liked the idea of Jack growing up. He and the rest of the Guardians had gotten used to having a normal, 14-year-old Jack, not a grown-up and possibly (Heaven forbid!) _mature_ Jack. Either way, though, he realized that they would still have their Snowball King. Coming to the truth, Sandy nodded up at Manny with a tight-lipped smile on his face.

Grinning, the taller spirit swooped him into a hug before he knew what was happening. "Oh THANK YOU Sanderson, I had hoped you would approve! Oh, sorry there. I got a bit too excited, I guess." Shaking his head as Manny released him, the dreamgiver waved off the apology and started to float towards the door. Piping up, Manny called out "It'll be okay, Sanderson. You'll get to see Jack as he would've looked had he been able to grow up. _His real identity._" Stopping at the last part of the sentence, Manny saw the Sandman get suddenly tense, before a ripple went through him and he relaxed. Continuing, Manny called "You're going to have to tell them sometime, Sanderson. Not even I can hide something forever, and this is something big you're keeping tucked away. And thanks again, old friend." Waving to the Man in the Moon over his shoulder, Sandy stepped over the threshold, and was immediately transported back to his dreamsand cloud, in the waking world.


	8. Chapter 7

I am so sorry everyone! I have no excuses for how long this took, and I hope you will forgive me. You don't have to, but it'd be nice… Anyway, on with the story!

The next morning dawned bright, the sun blinding anyone who dared try to glance its way, and the snow sparkling peacefully as the sounds of the world came to life. Most were happy, but suddenly, a loud thud was heard from inside a house. Jamie Bennett had woken up to find Jack Frost sitting on the end of his bed peering down at him, and had promptly fallen out of bed in shock.

"Jack! What are you doing here? And so early in the morning!" The winter sprite smirked down at the boy, ruffling his hair affectionately before turning and leaping off the bed with the grace of a cat, and landing just as silently.

"I needed to talk to you Jamie. There's something going on, and I might not be around for a while. Do you think you can rule the neighborhood while I'm gone?" Confused, the brown haired boy looked up at Jack with worry in his eyes.

"What is it, Jack?" his voice wavering slightly now," Is it Pitch? He can't be back already! What's going on, is everyone okay?! Where are you going, will you get hurt?!" All of this came out of his mouth very quickly as he jumped to his feet. So fast, in fact, that the taller boy had to wave his hands to slow the flood of questions.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on there, Jamie! It's nothing serious at all! Actually, it's kinda great, now that I think about it. Anyway, MiM granted me something that I've been wishing for for a really, really, REALLY long time. The only thing is, it's going to need a while to work. Maybe a month, maybe two. Do you think you can hold down the fort for that long?" Jack's statement was met with silence, broken only by the gentle snores coming from Sophie's room next door. Jamie was scanning Jack's face for any sign of deceit, or nervousness at being caught. However, the only thing in the spirit's eyes was only a light shining so bright it rivaled the sun outside, and Jamie knew that Jack was telling the truth.

"Alright, I'll be good here. Just don't take too long, alright? I might start to miss you." Nodding, Jack swept him into a bone-chilling hug, squeezing him tight.

"Thanks, Jamie. And don't you worry about me, I promise I'll be back in time for Easter." Smirking one last time at the little boy as he wrestled himself out of Jack's freezing embrace, he let go and hopped onto the open window's ledge. "Alright, bud. See ya in a couple months!" And with that, he was gone.


	9. Chapter 72

In Antarctica:

Once the wind dropped him off on the barren expanse of snow that was his secluded retreat, Jack began walking away from the black sand-spire. Why the wind would drop him off at this particular spot, he didn't know. But, Antarctica was huge. He didn't have to stay near the awful reminder of his fight with the Boogeyman, and so, he decided he would find himself a new stretch of tundra to explore.

4 hours later:

Jack had finally found the perfect spot, after searching for hours on end. He was in a sort of bowl, formed by mountains of ice, and in the side of one of the mountains, there was a cave. The walls surrounding him meant the winds summoned by Mother Nature when she wanted a blizzard wouldn't be a problem. However, the wind that he was friends with could still swoop down and play with him if he called. He figured he could crash here for the couple months until the aging process was complete, so he landed gently in the middle of the bowl. Walking towards the cave, he realized that it went back a good twenty feet, much bigger than he had originally thought. Suddenly, an idea lit up in his mind.

'I could be staying here for a while, might as well make it comfortable!' Pointing his staff at a spot on the wall near the back, he carefully made enough weak ice to form a reasonably sized rectangular block. Striding closer, he formed a chisel-edged piece of his toughest, hardest ice about as wide as his hand. When he reached the larger block of ice, Jack gently set his staff on the ground and got to work. Chiseling away at the rectangle until the part nearest the wall was higher than the rest, he slowly worked his way down to the rest, making sure it was all smooth. Finally, when he finished, Jack took a step back to admire his handiwork. Before him sat a queen-sized bed, shining and smooth. Glancing toward the opening of the cave, Jack remembered that he landed in Antarctica during the time of year when the sun never sets.

'Well, that may get annoying when I try to sleep. Gonna have to fix that.' Grabbing his staff and walking back to the mouth of the cave, he raised both of his arms and a wall of ice slowly built itself up, leavin foot space in the middle for a doorway, and a 2-by-2 foot square for a window. Waving his hand gently, he formed a sheet ice to fill the square, thin and clear enough to see through, but just thick enough not to shatter if the wind wanted to play. Moving towards the middle, he moved his staff up and down to form a strong door, complete with ice hinges to make it possible for him to leave without breaking the door down every time he wanted in or out. Once he was done, Jack realized how tired he was.

'Whoa, did it already start? Weird. Oh well, at least I made the bed first.' Waltzing back over to the bed, he sat down on the edge and yawned. Since he had spent most of his immortal life sleeping in tree braches, falling asleep on a block of ice wasn't hard at all. The last thought that went through his head as he lay his head down was 'This is going to be WEIRD.'

The next morning, (or more precisely, 9 ½ hours after he went to sleep, it's a bit hard to tell whether it's night or day when the sun never sets.) Jack woke up and stretched his arms and legs, he hadn't slept for that long in centuries! Rubbing his eyes, he slid off the bed and looked around the cave. Since he was going to be here for a while, he might as well decorate a bit more. Twirling his staff in his fingers, Jack began to brainstorm ideas for his new vacation home.


End file.
